Last One Standing
by Finaille Nailo
Summary: Ash, Misty, Brock, and many other people try to stop Team Rocket, who are killing innocent people and then stealing their Pokemon. Can Team Rocket be stopped? And can Misty and Ash stop fighting in the mean time? Co-authored with Cu-Cu Pikachu
1. Prologue

Last One Standing  
  
Prologue  
  
By Finaille Nailo  
  
"Grrrr! You two are really starting to bug me right now!" Misty yells at Ash and Brock. They are in the middle of Gold Forest, not too far west of Pallet Town. Ash was invited to compete in the Golden Bay Tournament, which was one of the most elite tournaments in the land of Pokemon. He had to earn six badges before he could compete. Knowing Ash, he never let down a challenge. But right now, Misty was halfway up a tree, death-gripping it.  
  
"Get that thing away from me!!!" Misty yells to Ash.  
  
"Aw Mist. it's only an ickle little Caterpie." Ash says, taunting her.  
  
"When I get down there, you are so dead!" Misty says, her head growing large from fury.  
  
"Come on Ash, just battle it." Brock says. "It's not going away until then."  
  
"Grrrr. girls and their demands. Misty, you so owe me." Ash demands. Misty smirks.  
  
"Oh yes Ash, and I know exactly what that will be. NOW BATTLE THAT THING ALREADY!!!" Misty yells with anger starting to burn in her eyes. Ash rolls his eyes.  
  
"Pikachu, thundershock!" The furry yellow creature emits a small amount of electricity from its cheeks. It hits the Caterpie directly on, and the Caterpie scurries in fear.  
  
"Ok, now will you come down now?" Ash asks with an annoyed tone. Misty climbs down the tree and goes to Ash.  
  
"Ash." She says in a sweet tone. She grabs her mallet and whacks him right smack on the head. "YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!!!"  
  
"Hey!!! What was THAT for?" He asks, rubbing the large, red lump on the top of his head.  
  
"Hey, you said I owed you something. You didn't mention if that had to be good or bad." She smirks.  
  
"Well, I meant good! But of course, how did I expect a scrawny red-head to know that?" Ash yells back.  
  
"Ok you too, please stop! Remember what happened last time this happened?" Brock tells them. They both glare at Brock. He gulps. "Uh oh. I shoulda kept my mouth shut." He thinks to himself.  
  
"No, it seems to have slipped my mind." Ash grits through his teeth.  
  
"Wow. you finally admit ONE of your problems. Admitting is only the first step though." Misty says, grinning.  
  
"Well, one of YOUR problems is quite obvious! You're 15 and you're still not half as cute as all the girls your age. You're a scrawny brat!" Ash yells. He knew he went too far. Misty starts chasing Ash around with her mallet.  
  
"You think those two would finally realize that they are flirting badly." Brock says, sighing.  
  
"Pika."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
That night the trio are in the Westlane Town Pokemon Center, sitting on the couches. They were all somewhat tired; it had been a long day for them. Ash was filling out his form for the tournament; Misty was gazing dreamily out the window and into the starry night. Brock was also gazing- but not out the window. He had his sights set on the Nurse Joy working at the nearby desk. Misty shifts her gaze and looks to Ash. Ash feels her gaze, and looks up from his form.  
  
"Hey." He mutters. Misty stands up from the couch she was sitting on and walks to the one Ash was sitting on.  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry about how I acted Ash. I just hate bugs, and you know that." Misty says quietly. Ash smiles at her. As he fixes his gaze on the somewhat tall girl, he notices how much she has changed in the last four years. Her hair, still spiky, but more controlled. She had grown out her bangs, and tendrils hung from her forehead. The rest of her hair was tucked back into a neat ponytail. He always lied to her, but she was no longer the scrawny girl he once knew. Everywhere he looked, he couldn't resist staring at every curve and contour of her body. He sets the form to his side, quickly forgetting about it, and he pulls Misty into a hug.  
  
"Misty, you know I'm just teasing you." He says, smiling. She was happy, with his strong arms protecting her. He was no longer the little boy from four, long years ago. He was now the "slightly" taller boy, with noticeable muscles protruding from his arms and legs.  
  
"I can't believe it, another bomb." A voice says, startling the trio. Nurse Joy, with her hand in her forehead, sits down next to Brock.  
  
"What's wrong, Nurse Joy?" Misty curiously asks, letting go of her hug.  
  
"Haven't you heard the horrible news? The last week Team Rocket has been bombing Pokemon Centers and Institutions, just to get a hold of more Pokemon. And they haven't cared about the people, over one-hundred were killed today after they bombed the National Pokemon Museum." She says with a sigh.  
  
"Why isn't anybody stopping them? Usually it's not that hard." Ash reminds Nurse Joy, who was close to tears.  
  
"There were too many. My two sisters were at the museum today..." She says, as a single tear falls down her pale cheek. Brock does something that surprises Ash and Misty. He puts his arms around Nurse Joy. No comment or anything. He just held her, as she buried her head in his chest and sobbed. Ash looks at Misty with a serious gleam in his eye.  
  
"We should do something." He says, standing up with a nearly emotionless face. The only emotion showing on his face was shock.  
  
"Ash, I know you want to help, but right now it's none of our business. I'm sure things will stop, don't worry about it." Misty tells him, trying to comfort him. His face softens a little bit.  
  
"I'm sure you're right." Ash says, sitting back down. He didn't know how wrong he was.  
  
A/N- Hey! Yay, new fanfic! I'm VERY sorry for not working on "Getting Back to Where I Belong" I'm having the absolute worst writer's block on that story. I thought starting a new story might help temporarily. I will hopefully have both this and that story done before the end of the school year, but I'm not promising anything. I'm very busy, and I can't help that. Well, please review! Oh, and by the way, I need names for future characters, and I'm horrible with coming up with names. If you would like suggesting some boy and girl names for me, that would be nice. Japanese preferred, or unusual English ones. Thanks! 


	2. Ash Has A Sister!

Last One Standing  
  
Part 1  
  
Finaille Nailo  
  
Ash is sitting on a windowsill; Misty is standing by him, and they are talking about the current bombing at the National Pokemon Museum.  
  
"I really am worried about the bombings, it didn't seem like a big deal before, but it's becoming more frequent." Misty tells Ash, looking out into the night sky. Ash glances over at Brock, who is still trying to comfort Nurse Joy.  
  
"I know, I know. But what can we do? We barely know a thing about the bombings, we've only heard a few people talking about it." Ash reminds Misty. Misty nods. He looks at Misty, and pulls her from her standing position, into a sitting position on the windowsill. " It's a really great thing you're so passionate about the world today, and you know I wanna stop them, but we barely know anything. You understand, don't you?" Misty bites her lip for a moment.  
  
"I guess." She mumbles. Ash smiles.  
  
"You'll understand soon enough. I bet nothing bad will happen for a while now, promise me." Ash says, pulling her into a hug.  
  
"I know, I know. you told me." She says, grinning.  
  
"Come on, it's getting kinda late, it's almost curfew. We should probably be getting to bed." Ash tells Misty. They are still embraced in a hug, and don't want to let go. They linger in the spot on the windowsill for a moment, then pull apart and get ready for bed.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ash is in a state of darkness. He's sprawled on the floor, and he slowly sits up. He looks around, and sees a mess of people running. He gets up, and tries to figure out what's going on, when somebody grabs him from behind, cups his mouth with one hand, and gets a hold of his throat with the other. The person drags Ash to another room, away from all the people. Once in the room, the person turns Ash around.  
  
"You better do what I say, or else your friend is in for it." The masked person says, pulling out a gun from his belt. He turns Ash around, so he's facing Misty, who's tied to a pole.  
  
"Misty!" Ash cries, running up to her.  
  
"Don't you touch her!" The person yells. Ash freezes. "If you want your friend back so badly, you must give me every one of your Pokemon." Ash stares at him.  
  
"Are you nuts! I'm not giving." He says, being interrupted. The person raises his gun and shoots. Both Ash and Misty scream, and Ash ducks down, until he realizes the person wasn't aiming for him. He quickly looks up at Misty, and blood is starting to run down her face. Ash screams.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Ash screams, quickly waking up. Pikachu, scared half-to-death, jumps in the air and shocks poor Ash, who'd just woken up from a nightmare. He yowls loudly again, and this time Misty hears him, and slowly wakes up.  
  
"Ash. what's going on?" Misty says, rubbing her eyes, then sitting up. She looks at Ash, who has a surprised and scared look on his face. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, just scared Pikachu." Ash mumbles. Misty smiles at Ash's fried look.  
  
"What did you do to poor Pikachu?" She asks, pulling Pikachu over to her and petting the scared Pokemon.  
  
"Piika." Pikachu says in a relaxed tone.  
  
"I uh, had a bad dream."  
  
"Really, what about?"  
  
"Um, it was nothing." Ash lies. Misty rolls her eyes, grabs Ash's hand and makes him look into her eyes.  
  
"Tell me." She demands. Ash sighs.  
  
"I had a dream, and uh, you were shot by some masked man. It scared the crap outta me." Ash mutters. Misty thinks for a moment, and pulls Ash into a hug.  
  
"You were. worried about me?" Misty asks innocently. Ash smiles.  
  
"Of course, was I not supposed to be?"  
  
"You better worry about me." Misty insists. Ash snorts.  
  
"Uh-huh. Right." Ash laughs. Misty pinches him. "Ok, I was worried, you know, so.?" "It's sweet of you, that's all." Misty says with a sweet smile. She crawls over to Ash's side, and leans her head on his shoulder. Ash puts his arm around her, and rubs her arm slowly.  
  
"I'd never be able to go on without you." Ash says with a smile. Misty turns a bit red in the face, but looks up to Ash, smiling.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I'm serious." Ash says, grinning at the awestruck girl. He pulls her body to face him, and he kisses her on the cheek.  
  
"You're my, uh, best friend. I always care about you."  
  
"Thanks, Ash." He smiles, and crawls back into his sleeping bag. He looks at her for a moment.  
  
"Would you care to join me?" He asks, opening his sleeping bag up a little. Misty smiles and climbs in with him. She zips up the bag, and turns to face Ash.  
  
"This time, try NOT to have nightmares, or else you might turn up worse than you did with Pikachu." Misty says, with a stifled giggle.  
  
"Uh huh, what can YOU do?"  
  
"Enough." Misty smiles. Ash kisses her on the forehead.  
  
"We'll see about that. Goodnight Misty."  
  
"Goodnight Ashy-boy." Ash puts his arm around her small waist and kisses her softly on the lips. They blush for a moment, and Misty rests her head on Ash's shoulder.  
  
"See ya in the morning, Mist."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The next day, they stop at the Westlane Town Laboratory. They still don't have a clue who the person who runs the lab is yet, but they hear that she has a reputation of being wild and ditzy. They get up to the laboratory, and knock on the door.  
  
"Hello?" Ash yells loudly, while banging on the door. A young girl opens the door. She has black hair, curling a bit past her shoulders. Her eyes are dark brown and very large. She stood about an inch shorter than Misty.  
  
"Hi, we're here to see the person who runs the lab." Misty states. The girl stares at them for the moment. "I AM the person who runs this lab. My name is Mia Hemmershock." The girl says, in a sort of high voice.  
  
"No way, you don't look older than 21!" Misty expresses. Mia cocks her head to the side.  
  
"That's because I'm not. I'm 19 and just getting started. But considering I was the Pokemon Master a few years ago, I think I have enough knowledge. I've been working for about six months now. Why don't you come in?" Mia suggests, letting them in the house. "So, who's Ash Ketchum now?"  
  
"I am." Ash says, speaking up. Mia looks up into his eyes.  
  
"How old are you?" Mia asks.  
  
"I'm fifteen, will be sixteen in June." He says. She cocks an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Pokedex please?" She asks. She looks at the Pokedex, while Ash turns to Misty and Brock."  
  
"She seems a bit angry? Did I do something wrong?" Ash whispers.  
  
"No. not that I know of." Brock replies.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't notice anything out of ordinary." Misty states. Ash turns back to Mia, who is finished looking at his Pokedex.  
  
"Here you go. I'm sorry about my mood, but you look like somebody I knew a long time ago." Mia says, handing back Ash's Pokedex.  
  
"And who would that be?" Ash asks.  
  
"You look like my little brother. I haven't seen him since I was six. He was two years old when I moved out with dad. You have his face." She says quietly.  
  
"Where was your brother?" Misty asks curiously.  
  
"He stayed with my mother in Pallet town." Mia says. Ash looks at her shocked. He was two years old when his parents got divorced, and his father moved away. And although his mother didn't mention it often, actually it had been years since she had told him, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he did have a sister.  
  
"Ash, are you ok?" Misty asks. Ash gulps nervously.  
  
"Your dad isn't. Jake, right?" Ash asks Mia.  
  
"Yeah, his name is Jake. how did you know?" "Do you remember your mother's name?"  
  
"Um. yeah, my dad told me. It's Delia." She froze for a moment. ". Ketchum."  
  
"Are you." Ash starts.  
  
"My brother." Mia finishes. Misty and Brock look at each other in disbelief. ASH HAD A SISTER??!!  
  
"My God." Ash says, pulling Mia into his arms in a big hug.  
  
"I can't believe this!" Mia says excitedly, hugging Ash with all her might.  
  
"Neither can I." Brock says.  
  
"Me neither." Misty adds.  
  
"Come on you guys, you guys sit down on the couch. I'll fix us some tea, ok?" Mia says, all excited-like.  
  
"Ok, um, thanks." Ash says. He looks at Misty and Brock, who still have very funny looks on their faces.  
  
"How come WE didn't know about this?" Misty demands.  
  
"Uhh, I didn't know about this either." Ash reminds her.  
  
"But this is sooo weird!" Misty yells.  
  
"I know, I know." Ash says, pulling her into a hug. He's a bit confused into WHY Misty was acting this way.  
  
"I'm sorry. this is just. I don't know, not what I was expecting." Misty says, looking into the same, big, brown eyes that Mia had. She examined his face, which was almost the same face that Mia had.  
  
"Hey, Mia and I are, uh, family, I'll always love you guys." Ash reminds them.  
  
"Hey, your sis is HOT!" Brock yells, with a gaga grin on his face. Ash and Misty roll their eyes.  
  
"Just when I thought you were actually changing for the better." Misty says sarcastically.  
  
"Hey! I can't help which girls are hot and which aren't!" Brock tells the two.  
  
"Do you think I'M hot?" Misty asks, fluttering her eyelashes sarcastically.  
  
"Well, I dunno, you're like my sister. I don't think of my sisters as ugly or cute. I mean, you're cute, but not in THAT way." Brock stammers.  
  
"Uh huh, right!" Misty demands. Mia comes back into the living room with a tray. She sets it down on the coffee table and pours four cups of tea.  
  
"Hey Mia?" Ash asks.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Um, is. dad still around?" Ash asks solemnly. Mia looks down at the ground, her medium-length hair covering her eyes.  
  
"He died last summer in a car accident." She says quietly.  
  
"He. did?" Ash asks, another shock moving through his body. All of a sudden, the only thing going through his dad was the only memory of his dad. (Flashback)  
  
Ash was seven and a pretty carefree kid. He bragged about becoming a Pokemon Master. He bragged about the Pokemon that he was going to capture. He bragged about the adventures he was going to go on. Little did he know his bragging and lying would actually come true one day. But, Ash didn't have a dad. He didn't really care; his world relied on only the mom being the parent.  
  
One day in early May, Ash just got home from soccer practice. He opened the door, threw down his soccer bag, and yelled,  
  
"MOM!"  
  
No reply.  
  
"MOM?" Ash yelled again. He walked into the kitchen, to find his mom. She was talking to somebody, and Ash hid on the side of the pantry. He peered in to see who she was talking to. It was. a man. one Ash had never seen before in his life.  
  
"Jake, I don't think we should. Ash doesn't even really know you. And I haven't seen Mia in nearly five years. I'd rather him stay with me. You've got a good life, a nice wife and now even a three year old daughter, not to mention Mia." Delia says.  
  
"Mia?" Ash wonders, "Who in the world is that? Who is this guy?"  
  
"But Ash is my son!" Jake yells. Ash's eyes grow large.  
  
"This guy is my dad?" Ash wonders in disbelief.  
  
"But, I'm not married. Ash is the only person with me now. If you take him away from me, you're taking away a lot of my life. HE'S STAYING WITH ME!" Delia screams, using a fierce tone the young Ash had never heard before. Ash decides he didn't want to hear anymore. He turns around, and trips on the carpet. Ash's mom hears the thud, and runs over to Ash. Jake follows.  
  
"Ash, honey, are you alright?" Delia asks, picking Ash up and setting him in her lap. Ash nods quietly. "Honey, I want you to meet somebody."  
  
"Hi, big guy." The man says, kneeling down to look at Ash.  
  
"Ash. this is. your father." Delia says quietly. Ash looks at him.  
  
"Hi." Ash says shyly. Jake looks at Delia.  
  
"I'm sorry, but if you're not willing to give him to me, I'm going to court." Jake says.  
  
"I've got to go." He turns to Ash. "Goodbye. Stay out of trouble." He leaves the house. Ash and Delia look at each other for a very long moment.  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
"Ash? Hellooo?" Misty says, waving a hand in front of Ash's face. He snaps back into reality and looks at Misty.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Guess I kinda zoned out there for a brief moment." Ash says, trying to look his normal self.  
  
"Brief? You were like that for like, twenty minutes!" Brock tells him.  
  
"I uh, was? Oh, sorry guys." He says, with a fake smile.  
  
"So, Ash, guess becoming a Pokemon Master runs in the family, eh?" Mia says, with a smile.  
  
"Really?" Ash asks curiously. Just talking about being a Pokemon Master makes him forget everything that was just on his mind.  
  
"Yeah! You didn't know dad was a Pokemon Master? So is grandpa." Mia says.  
  
"Wow, I really didn't know that." Ash says, amazed.  
  
"Yeah, I became a Pokemon Master at 14, but then, decided that I didn't want to have the title forever, so I worked with my dad to have the profession I have now. Dad used to be the person who ran the Westlane Town Lab before. He only did it for about 13 years, too. He was. really good at it."  
  
"Wow. so does that mean I might be a Professor too someday?" Ash asks. Mia smiles and shrugs.  
  
"I dunno, maybe. So, is there anything you want to know about the Golden Bay tournament?" Mia asks.  
  
"Yeah, where's the first gym?" Ash asks excitedly.  
  
"Patience little one." Mia grins, ". it's in Clover City, east of here. Of course, you will be passing Maioko Town and Semter Village on the way there. Semter Village is known for their trainers. They say 1 in 4 people there will win a Pokemon tournament sometime in their life."  
  
"Wow, awesome!" Ash exclaims. "So, what type of Pokemon does the Clover City Gym use?"  
  
"Well, I definitely will tell you you've never heard of the type before. All the types in the Golden Bay area are, let's say, very unique. Anyways, their type is Wooden." Mia says calmly.  
  
"Wooden?"  
  
"Yeah. All the gyms here use uniquely type Pokemon. Of course, in the wild you'll still find types you're used to. But, you have to find out the types for yourself." Mia says with a grin. Ash stands up.  
  
"Well, I really appreciate this, Mia. I suppose me and the gang better head off, then." Ash says. Misty shakes Mia's hand. Then Brock does.  
  
"Wait, Ash, before you go, I have something for you." Mia says, pulling out a Pokeball from her belt. She hands it to him.  
  
"Mia. thank you." Ash says with a smile.  
  
"This is Topple. He's a Demonic Type. Their specialty is taking over the souls of other Pokemon and fighting. He's cute, but he's really mischievous." Mia says with a smile. "I think he'd be better off seeing new places."  
  
"Thank you Mia, I really appreciate this." Ash says, hugging his "sister".  
  
"Goodbye, and good luck on your journey Ash!" Mia says, walking him, Misty, and Brock to the door. They step out of Mia's house and wave to her one last time.  
  
"Goodbye!" Ash yells.  
  
"See ya later!" Misty yells.  
  
"Stay single!" Brock yells. Mia just grins and walks back in her house. They get onto Route 48 that leads to Maioko Town.  
  
"I still don't believe that." Misty says to Ash.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't know. I just really didn't know that much about your past life. Sadly to say, I think you knew just about as much as I did." Misty says.  
  
"Yeah, that does make sense."  
  
"Ash, your sister is REALLY hot!" Brock exclaims. Ash grins.  
  
"Well, I have to protect my sis from you. you'd scare the heck outta her." Ash says sarcastically, actually not having a clue about her preferences.  
  
"Oh come on." Brock begs, getting on his knees. Misty pulls his ear and drags him along.  
  
"Come on, lover-boy. I think I have a better chance of marrying Ash then you do of marrying Mia." Misty says quietly, out of Ash's hearing range.  
  
"Oh, so you're saying you like Ash now?" Brock asks, grabbing Misty's arm to stop her from pinching his ear, and stands up.  
  
"Hey, I didn't say that." Misty says.  
  
"Didn't say what?" Ash asks, just hearing what Misty said.  
  
"Oh, nothing you need to know. YET!" Misty says with a grin.  
  
"Ok. whatever. Girls are so weird." Ash states. Misty pulls out her mallet.  
  
"Care saying that again, Ashy-boy?"  
  
"Uh. I didn't say anything." Ash says, with a panic-stricken face.  
  
"Good, I didn't think so." Misty says with a cute smile plastered on her face.  
  
"GIRLS ARE WEIRD!" Ash yells in a cough. Brock sighs. "Here they go again." Brock says with a pathetic-like tone. Misty pulls out her mallet and slams Ash in the head very hard. Ash picks himself up and starts running.  
  
"YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, NANANANA!!!" Ash yells to Misty, who is fuming.  
  
"I'll get you someday, Ash Ketchum! And don't forget, you STILL owe me that bike!" Misty says, chasing after him. Brock just watches them in disbelief.  
  
"They'll never change." Brock says with a smile.  
  
So, you like? It took me long enough to write anyways. So um, review please! 


	3. On The Road, Then Back Again

Last One Standing Pikachu and Finaille Nailo Part 2  
  
Sunday November 9, 2003  
  
Okay. I am finally doing the next part. Most of you probably think it'll be short but I'm not stopping until it is at least 6 pages long. Review and enjoy!!! ^_^  
  
"CATCH ME FIRST!!!" Ash yelled back. Misty was so ticked her face looked the color of raw meat.  
  
"WHEN I DO, YOU'LL WISH I DIDN'T!!!" Misty screamed. Ash continued to  
  
run stupidly between trees. Misty tore after him again.  
  
"Can't you go faster?" Ash taunted her as she was a good ways away from him.  
  
"YES!!!" Misty screamed. She took a shortcut and popped out right in front of Ash and tackled him to the ground. She then gave her mallet quite a workout.  
  
"YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! OKAY OKAY! YOU WIN!!!!" Ash screamed. Misty smiled smugly.  
  
"Ha. Told you." Misty said, now beginning to chill out a bit. Brock arrived shortly after with Pikachu up on his shoulder.  
  
"Are you two through now?" Brock asked with slight annoyance.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so. I beat Ash." Misty said with a grin.  
  
"You had to take a shortcut just to catch me you cheater." Ash said.  
  
"What's your point?" Misty asked. They all jumped as a blast was heard just ahead of them.  
  
"What was that?" Misty screamed. They all jumped up. Pikachu took start and shocked all of them.  
  
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! CUT IT OUT P-P-PIKACHU!!!" Ash yelled. After they were done being fried, they peered out of the bushes. It was quite obvious that a bomb had been dropped some 100 yards from them.  
  
"I really don't like this. Team Rocket is bombing everything in sight." Misty said worriedly.  
  
"I think we should go back. Maybe Mia will let us stay with her. Maybe, just maybe we can stop all this." Ash said quietly. Misty snorted.  
  
"Ash. You heard what Mia said. The 3 of us can't stop Team Rocket. It  
  
would be impossible." Misty said with a slight tone of agitation.  
  
"Maybe it's risky but Ash has a point. We should try and do something." Brock said.  
"Thank you Brock. Anyway, I do think we should turn back. Mia is my sister so more than likely she'll let us.  
  
"And maybe me and her could get to know each other better." Brock said with hearts in his eyes.  
  
"No. Don't even think about it Brock. Other girls are one thing but not my sister." Ash said.  
  
At Mia's house.  
  
"Back already?" Mia asked when she opened her door and saw them standing there.  
  
"Yeah. We need a place to stay. We figured we could help out with the  
  
fight against Team Rocket." Ash said. Mia looked suspicious.  
  
"You can stay here but I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to  
  
get involved. What if I lose my brother that I've been looking for for years?" Mia asked. There was a silence.  
  
"You've been looking for me?" Ash asked, touched. Mia rolled her eyes.  
  
"I told you that the last time you were here Ash. You must forget things easily." Mia said, trying to hold back a smile. They went inside and  
  
sat down.  
  
"So. Did you guys here that Team Rocket let a bomb drop 4 miles away from here?" Mia asked.  
  
"Yeah. It nearly landed right on us," Misty replied. Mia was shocked.  
  
"You're kidding, right??" Mia screamed. They shook her head.  
  
"It was about 100 yards away. It was a near miss," Ash told her.  
  
"Well, I'm surprised an accidental bombing would be on the news but it is," Mia told them. She turned on the news channels and began flipping. All they kept showing was the forest where they had been in a clearing that was made by the bomb. Mia finally shut of the T.V.  
  
"I still can't believe Team Rocket, Aqua, and Magma have all teamed up together. I thought they all liked to do things their own way," Brock asked.  
  
"They used to. Then they realized they could get many things they wanted if they all teamed up together," Mia explained.  
  
"It must be awful living in constant fear like this," Misty said sadly.  
  
"It is. Not a day goes by where we haven't heard that someone's been injured or killed," Mia replied.  
  
"Well Mia. We're going to go to the Pokemon Center. My Pokemon need healing." Ash told her.  
  
"Well, okay. Just be careful Ash," Mia said to him.  
  
"I will. You don't need to worry," Ash reassured her. She smiled as they walked out of the house.  
  
"You don't need to heal your Pokemon. Why did you tell Mia that? And what are you planning to do anyway?" Misty asked.  
  
"Do you always have to ask so many questions?" Ash asked, annoyed.  
  
"Misty. Ash. Stop it. Anyway, what are you doing anyway?"  
  
"Going to stop Teams Rocket, Aqua, and Magma!" Ash exclaimed. Misty and Brock both grabbed one of his arms and began dragging him back to Mia's house.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO NIMRODS DOING???!!!" Ash shouted.  
  
"We're taking you back to Mia's!!" Misty exclaimed.  
  
"Why?" Ash asked as he struggled to break free.  
  
"Because we don't even have a plan of what we're going to do! That's why!" Brock shouted to him.  
  
*** ***  
  
"YOU WHAT???" Mia screamed. Misty and Brock had just told her about how Ash was going to try and stop Teams Rocket, Aqua, and Magma.  
  
"Ash. It's dangerous enough fighting them with a plan. It's even more  
  
dangerous fighting them without a plan!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???"  
  
"I just wanted to make the area a safer place by getting rid of Team Rockmagua," Ash said to her. Mia, Misty, and Brock looked confused.  
  
"Team Rockmagua? What the heck does that mean?" Misty asked.  
  
"All the teams. Rock stands for Rocket, Mag stands for Magma, and Ua stands for Aqua," Ash explained. Brock and Mia rolled their eyes.  
  
"Where do you get these crazy ideas?" Misty asked.  
  
"From being around a crazy person like you," Ash replied with a grin.  
  
Misty hit him with her mallet.  
  
"Ha ha. So funny Ash. You need to grow up. It must have taken you what, a second to make that up?" Misty replied while Ash rubbed his head.  
  
"I just hate living in constant fear. You never know what will happen  
  
from one day to the next," Mia said sadly.  
  
"How come you haven't moved?" Ash asked.  
  
"I can't," Mia said.  
  
"Well, why not?" Misty asked politely.  
  
"Well, I own the Pokemon Research Lab here,"  
  
"Oh. That's right," Brock said.  
  
"You can see why I can't really get up and leave," Mia explained to them.  
  
"Do you mind showing us the lab Mia?" Ash asked. Mia smiled.  
  
"Of course not. We have to drive across town though. It's on the other side of town," Mia told them. They looked puzzled.  
  
"Why didn't they just build it by your house?" Brock asked. Mia giggled.  
  
"Not enough land room. Anyway, hop into the car and let's go for a drive," Mia said happily. They all filed out of her house and went into her car. She lowered the top so that there was no ceiling of the car.  
  
"I hope you guys don't mind a topless car," Mia shouted back to them.  
  
"Nope. It's nice out today. Why would we?" Misty replied. Mia adjusted her mirror and pulled out of the driveway.  
  
"So you basically just try and find out what techniques are a Pokemon's strongest?" Ash asked as they had paused at a red light.  
  
"That's right Ash. Most of the trainers today are finding out that some of their Pokemon's attacks are stronger than they think," Mia told them with a wink as she sped through the green light.  
  
"Thanks to you, right Mia?" Brock asked.  
  
"I don't want to take all the credit. A lot of people have been helping me," Mia replied as she turned a sharp corner.  
  
"Who all helps you Mia?" Misty asked.  
  
"Oh. Just local trainers. Well, I really shouldn't say trainers. I should say kids that are to-be Trainers," Mia explained.  
  
"Basically 8 and 9 year olds, right?" Ash asked.  
  
"Yep. Okay. The lab is just around this corner," Mia explained. She turned and they all gasped. It was enormous. It looked like a gym.  
  
"I take it you like?" Mia asked, grinning when she saw their expressions.  
  
"IT'S HUGE!!!" Ash exclaimed. Mia laughed.  
  
"It's bigger on the inside," She told him. Mia turned her red car into the Parking Lot and they all got out.  
  
"Ready to go?" She asked.  
  
"You bet!" They replied. They went in through doors that were clear glass. From the entrance, there were just tons of hallways leading in different directions.  
  
"Each of the hallways leads to a different Gym. Each Gym has a different type of Pokemon," Mia explained seeing their look of confusion.  
  
"Here. I'll show you. Let's go into the Grass Gym first," Mia said. She led them through a hallway diagonal to them. They turned a few corners and saw a wooden door with a leaf painted on it.  
  
"Go on. Enter. I warn you though. These Grass Types are extremely hyper and sweet so they'll probably pounce on you when you walk in," Mia said with a laugh.  
  
"WHAT???" They screamed.  
  
"Oh. They do it to me every time I check on them. It doesn't hurt. Don't worry," Mia said, reassuring them. They all went inside and saw many Grass Pokemon. They were stretched across a Gym on grass as the floor. The whole Gym must have been 500 yards wide on each side. They just stood in amazement.  
  
"So. You like? There's some Bellsprout, Venasaurs, Spineraks, Caterpie, you name the grass Pokemon, and they're here. You want to see the  
  
Psychic Gym which I refer to as the Ghost Gym?" Mia asked.  
  
"Uh, how scary are they?" Misty asked.  
  
"Oh. They're more comical then scary," Mia explained. After the Ghost  
  
Gym, they went to Water, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Fighting, and Normal until finally Mia decided to call it a day.  
  
"Well. I think I'm done for the day. Come on. I'll fix dinner," Mia said with a smile.  
  
"Okay!" Ash exclaimed. They hopped back into her car and drove to her  
  
house.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Did you like it? Well, review us both! ^_^  
  
Finaille Nailo- Yeah! We are the champions! LOL! ^^ 


	4. A Couple of Problems

Last One Standing

Part 3

By Finaille Nailo and Pikachu  
  
Ash and Misty are in Mia's guest room, lying on their beds. Ash is reading a magazine on the latest Pokemon gear, and Misty is lying on her stomach wishing there was something better to do. Brock is downstairs on a couch in Mia's living room.

"Ash… do you really think that bomb was dropped... accidentally?" Misty asks, turning on her side to face Ash. Ash's focus on the magazine is quickly turned to Misty.

"I don't know… I guess... I mean, the bomb was dropped in the middle of nowhere." Ash states.

"Yeah, I get that, but do you think it might have been aimed for something more important? Like Mia's lab, they could go after that." Misty says.

"I never really thought of that before... she does have some Pokemon I know the Teams would want to get their hands on." Ash realizes.

"Hehe... I see you didn't settle on Rockmagua... that was kind of stupid anyways." Misty says with a grin.

"Shut up. I'm not using it cause… it's too er, long." He stammers.

"Riiiight, and I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master in my lifetime." Misty says sarcastically.

"Well, who knows…?" Ash questions.

"Well, first I was being sarcastic. Now I think we should get back to the topic before we start fighting again." Misty demands.

"You're so cute when you're angry." Ash says with a goofy grin. Misty turns a little red in the face.

"I wasn't angry!" Misty yells. Ash laughs as he sets down his magazine and joins Misty on her bed.

"You were, quit pretending. You always tell me to grow up." Ash points out. Misty's angry face softens.

"Good point. Wow, Ashy-boy is actually right about something.. Amazing." Misty marvels. Ash laughs and hugs her.

"Sometimes I wonder how I can get so mad at you." Ash says with a smile.

"Well, we are both stubborn and hate being wrong." Misty says. "That's a pretty good reason."

"But, we still have our good times." Ash says, looking into her eyes. Their eyes lock, and they lean forward a little bit. Their lips almost touch when…

"Whoa!" Misty says, pushing Ash away. She is blinking uncontrollably.

"Something… wrong?" Ash asks, sprawled on the floor.

"Um… no..." Misty says, looking away from Ash. "Um… if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"You sure? It's pretty dark out."

"Yeah." Misty grabs a sweatshirt from out of her backpack. "I shouldn't be out too long."

"Should I come along?"

"No, I'll be ok alone." Misty smiles. "See ya later." She walks out of the room, and sneaks down the stairs. She's only a few feet away from the front door when.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice asks from behind her. She jumps startled and turns around. Mia was standing there.

"I was going to take a walk." Misty informs her.

"I'm not so sure if that's a good idea. It's pretty late. Is something wrong?" Mia asks. Misty nods, then Mia smiles. "Come on, why don't we talk about it in the living room? Brock's upstairs taking a shower, so he won't disturb us." They walk into her living room, and they both sit down on a couch.

"So, what's up?" Mia asks. Misty gulps.

"It's Ash."

"What happened?"

"Well, I like him and all, but he tried to kiss me and I freaked out." Misty says quietly.  
As they are talking, Ash tiptoes out of the guest room and down the stairs to get something to eat. As he reaches the bottom, he hears two voices talking. He sneaks to the living room entrance, and hides in the corner.

"I want to tell Ash how I feel, but I'm too nervous." Misty tells Mia. Ash's eyes widen.

"Why? It's somewhat obvious he likes you too." Mia says.

"How can you tell? You only met us the other day."

"Well, boys are pretty obvious." Mia says, grinning. As Ash is spying on the girls, Brock, who is done taking his shower and is now downstairs, taps Ash on the back. Ash shrieks, and the girls hear him. They rush over to the entrance to see a startled Ash and a confused Brock standing there.

"Were you two spying?" Mia asks the boys.

"Um, you know, I just got down here." Brock replies. Ash gulps.

"I didn't hear anything." Ash says, lying through his teeth. "Misty, I, can I talk to you?"

Misty smiles and looks at Mia. "Maybe now I can take that walk."

They go outside and start walking away from Mia's house.

"So?" Misty says quietly, after about ten minutes of silence, "What did you hear?"

"Hear?" Ash asks, wishing he didn't have to be in this situation.

"Yeah, hear… I know you heard most or all of the conversation, didn't you?" Misty asks.

"Um, yeah, I heard, uh, some of it."

"Ash!" She gives him an annoyed look.

"Ok, I heard most of it." Ash spits out.

"So, you um, know, huh?" Misty asks. They stop walking.

"Yeah, I guess I would say I do." Ash looks at Misty. "I feel the same way." He smiles.

"You do?"

"Well, duh, I mean, I TRIED to kiss you, then you pushed me away. I thought you didn't like me."

"Oh, right, well, I've never been in a relationship before. I got pretty nervous when you kissed me the other night." Misty confesses.

"And if you haven't noticed, I've never been in a relationship either." He looks into Misty's eyes.

"I suppose we could, try?" Misty suggests. 

"Would you want to be my.. girlfriend?" Ash asks shyly. Misty nods silently. They lean forward, and their lips touch clumsily. It lasts only a few seconds. Misty looks up at Ash, with a small blush on her cheeks. Ash takes her hand, and they start walking again.

"So, you think there will be more bombs around here?" Ash asks.

"Yeah, I suppose. I really don't know the area though. As I said before, the only thing I'd know they might be targeting would be Mia's lab."

"You think we should have Mia with us so she'd be safe?"

"I really wouldn't think so, I mean, her house isn't anywhere near the lab." Misty reminds Ash.

"Yeah, but she could be in the lab." Ash points out. Misty looks up into the night sky.

"I'm sure whatever she'll do she'll be fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Of course I am" Misty reminds him with a huge grin on her face.

"Uh-huh, sure you are." Ash says with a laugh. They approach the lab.

"The lab isn't closed yet, huh? The lights are still on." Misty notices.

"I guess not."

"Ash… how long will we be staying here?" Misty asks.

"I don't know… if things are going well, we could leave tomorrow morning."

"Well, I'm still worried about the bombings." Misty says quietly. "Not here, but elsewhere. I mean, they could be targeting gyms for all I know. I've actually been thinking about returning to Cerulean until things get sorted out." Misty's eyes meet Ash's, and she quickly looks down.

"We should probably get back to Mia's. I'm sure she's worried." Ash says, breaking the tension.

"I'm sure she is. She told me not to go out while we were talking." Misty smiles.

"Guess we're gonna get chewed out then, huh?" Misty just laughs. "Let's go." Ash puts his arm around Misty's waist and they turn away from the lab.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The next day Brock, Ash, and Misty are all ready to go, again.

"You be careful on the way to Clover. It's about a three to five day walk, depending on the weather." Mia says, and then turns to Ash. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Ash, the third town you'll pass on the way to Clover is called Arcalli Village. I forgot to mention it to you earlier. Whatever you do, please do not stop there." Mia pleads.

"Why?" Misty asks curiously.

"It's the rare artifact, isn't it?" Brock asks. Mia nods. "It's a flute that's supposed to draw any Pokemon to the flute player. I'm sure Team Rocket might want it, if they know about it. I want you guys to be really careful, ok?" Mia asks. They all nod. 

"Trust us, we'll be careful." Ash tells her. Misty grins. 

"Well, I know Brock and I will be careful, we'll keep an eye on Ashy-boy here." She says in a baby-tone. Mia smiles sweetly. "You do that. I don't want my only brother getting hurt." Mia says, sarcastically pinching Ash's cheeks. Ash scowls at the two girls. Misty and Mia laugh.

"Well, you keep safe." Brock says. Mia takes Ash's arm and pulls him into a hug.

"If you need me, give me a call." Mia says, whispering in his ear. Ash nods, and they break the hug.

"Bye Mia, it was nice to meet you!" Misty says, smiling. They all say good-bye one last time, and the three get back onto Route 48.

"So… hopefully this time we can get somewhere." Ash says.

"I don't think Team Rocket would be stupid enough to bomb the same place twice." Brock says, looking at Ash. His focused lay on Ash's arm, which seemed to be gripping something. He looks down a bit farther, to see _Ash holding Misty's hand_. Brock thinks for a moment, then grins.

"I agree." Misty says while Brock is still curiously thinking. "But… they didn't bomb Arcalli… or here in fact. They still could bomb this general area." It's silent for a while, but sooner or later Ash and Misty both get the tingling sensation you get when somebody's staring at them. They turn to see Brock grinning at them.

"What?" Ash asks.

"When did you two become a couple?" Brock asks, trying to control his laughter. Ash and Misty look down at their hands, and pull them away from each other's.

"That's because we aren't." Misty says, blushing furiously and staring down at the ground.  
"Ash?"  
"It's true." Ash mutters, doing the same as Misty. Brock rolls his eyes, and they continue on. That night they reach Maioko Town, immediately heading towards the Pokemon Center, and also in one piece. Ash goes up to Nurse Joy right away, for on the way to Maioko had a battle, and one of his Pokemon fainted. Brock and Misty head to the sitting room.

"Hey Misty?" Brock asks.

"Um, what?"

"Are you and Ash really going out?"

"NO!" They stare at each other for a moment.

"Misty. I'm not stupid you know."

"Never knew that." Misty says with a mischievous grin. Brock raises an eyebrow. "Fine, we're going out."

"Ha! I knew it! When did it happen?" Brock nags her. Misty sighs heavily.

"Last night."

"On your walk?"

"Yup."

"Cool."

"I guess." Ash walks into the sitting area, with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Ash says, sitting down next to Misty. Misty looks at Brock, Brock looks at Misty, and then they both look at Ash.

"Nothing." Brock and Misty say in unison. Ash blinks.

"Ok then. Hey guys, I think we should stick around tomorrow. Nurse Joy was telling me about this awesome theater here in Maioko." Ash tells them. "There's a play tomorrow… and I think we should go see it."

"Ash, I thought you hated plays." Brock states.

"Yeah, and we don't have the money." Misty adds in. Ash holds up four tickets.

"I sort of won these... the millionth person to get their Pokemon healed." Ash blushes for a moment. "The play's tomorrow."

"What play is it?" Misty asks.

"A re-make of Romeo and Juliet." This time Ash and Misty both blush. "I thought it would be interesting."

"Sounds good… maybe I can find a date to go." Brock says with a grin. "I mean, since you two already have one…" Ash blinks again, and then looks at Misty.

"You told him?"

"He's not stupid." Misty says, quoting Brock. Ash grins.

"Didn't know that… OW!" Ash yells and Brock hits him in the head. "I've already got enough brain damage from Misty." He says sarcastically.

"That or your mom dropped you on your head as a baby." Brock says with a sarcastic grin.

"No... she threw me up and my head hit the ceiling…. jeez… get it right people." Ash grins. Misty laughs. Ash puts his arm around her, and gives Brock an evil look. "Bet ya anything you don't find a date for tomorrow."

"Uh, yeah, I WILL!!!"

"Yeap… sure you will." Misty says with a smile.

"No guys, I will! In fact, I'm going to ask Nurse Joy RIGHT now!" Brock stands up boldly. "I'm gonna march over there."

"And cower like an idiot." Misty says, interrupting him. Brock squints his eyes at Misty, and walks over to the front desk.

"You think she'll say yes?" Ash asks. Misty shrugs.

"I don't know… maybe?" They watch Brock, and when he starts dancing around the entrance area, they knew the answer.

"Come on," Ash says, "It's getting late." Misty nods in agreement.

"Guess we should drag Brock over here and get a room…" Misty smiles, and Ash quickly kisses her.

"Let's go."  
  
A/N- GOD!! I HAVEN'T WORKED ON THIS FIC IN FOREVER!!!! Sorry… I know it sucks. :( please R&R and sorry for the caps ^^'. 


End file.
